For centuries people have tried to devise means which would help them in the every day transport of heavy loads such as water, food and other necessities.
Even though many inventions were developed, starting with the basic stick holding a bag over the shoulder to more sophisticated devices, it is not uncommon to observe a great number of people who are still carrying, every day, their grocery bags, shopping bags, packages and the like by hand. This puts a burden on the fingers, strains the muscles of the wrists and arms, and ties up both hands making it very difficult to hold a banister, use stairs or open or close doors. Furthermore, a large segment of the population usually have already a hand tied up, for example, the professional holding an attache case, the student loaded with books, the elderly leaning on a cane. The need for a useful carrying device is, therefore, as acute now as it has ever been.
In this domain, all of the devices of the prior art are characterized by a strap type harness which fastens over the shoulders and by some type of hooks which are secured to the straps. Even though the harness is useful, since it allows the weight to be evenly distributed around the shoulders and neck, it is not readily accepted by consumers for practical, psychological and esthetic reasons.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,281,822 to Orr (1918) discloses a shoulder carrier for packages or containers which consists of a yoke, very similar in appearance to the harness worn by a horse, on and/or under which two large bags can be suspended. This device is cumbersome. The chains on which the hooked bags apply have to be arranged around the user's back, front and armpits. Moreover, the position of the hooks under the armpits creates a risk of injury to the user because they are bent towards the body. Furthermore, chains and hooks can easily rust and spoil the user's clothes.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,718,988 to Potts (1955) discloses a dual shoulder looped strap carrying means. The device consists mainly of straps which are threaded in front of the throat, around the neck and sit on the user's shoulders. The device requires some intricate manual assembly before use, and does not allow for the transportation of more than two packages at the same time.
Therefore, the invention described herein offers solutions to overcome the many drawbacks of previous carrying devices and displays a number of desirable features.